Executive Director Marilyn Paarlberg has written an Advent message to RfA supporters for several years. Since she will retire at the end of 2019, this is her final Advent greeting. If you would like to read previous greetings, as well as RfA newsletters dating back to the fall of 2010 when Marilyn began her tenure,…
The May 2019 RfA newsletter is out, which celebrates several accomplishments and occasions, including our 40th rostered congregation, as well as a series of Regional Celebration Events scheduled for this fall! We invite you to keep up with our news, and watch this space for more information about the executive director transition and more!
When a congregation goes through the learning process to become welcoming and affirming of LGBTQ people, they often end up learning a lot more about themselves and other marginalized groups within their communities. With that in mind, RfA is proud to offer* a new event-planning resource, “A Wider Welcome.” This document is a blueprint for…
Today’s e-newsletter reflects on transitions, and announces that Marilyn Paarlberg, RfA’s executive director since 2010, is stepping down at the end of December, 2019. Marilyn reflects on the important role of transitions in prose, noting, “A well-crafted transition builds on what has happened and seamlessly orients the reader’s curiosity toward what’s coming on the next page.…
In 2016, General Synod declared that “the RCA does not support the use of reorientation/reparative therapy,” but in states or municipalities where the practice is legal, well-meaning parents still subject their LGBTQ children to some form of this damaging and abusive practice. Room for All is proud to be one of the sponsors of a…
As the year draws to a close, it’s a joy to reflect and give thanks for the vibrant RfA community! A letter of thanks is on its way to all those in our database for whom we have a physical address, which highlights some ways that this community has made RfA’s mission of support, education…
In June 2018, the RCA General Synod commended the “Great Lakes Catechism on Marriage and Sexuality” for consideration by the Commission on Theology (COT) and the wider RCA. In response, a diverse group of people from the LGBTQ community, parents, pastors, educators and others shared their thoughts with Room for All and the COT, offering alternative perspectives on a faithful…
YOU DID IT! We’re grateful to announce that the RfA community raised a total amount just over $100,000 in our Connection Challenge! “Connections are life-giving. They offer community, solidarity, and hope.” THANK YOU for the solidarity and hope that you have given to this ministry!
What a privilege to share the news about the recognition by Union Theological Seminary for the “steadfast and heroic activism” of Dr. Norman J. Kansfield, by conferring a Unitas Distinguished Alumni/ae Award, to “bear witness to the faith and perseverance of living Union alumni/ae who exemplify the Seminary’s academic breadth, its diversity and inclusiveness, and the…
Room for All is delighted and grateful that we’ll be sponsoring three faith-based events during the second annual OC Pride festival in Orange City, Iowa, October 19 – 21. With the gracious approval of the local event organizers, RfA will offer: A COMMUNITY CONVERSATION on Friday, A KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY JUSTIN LEE on Saturday, and WORSHIP LED…